In recent years there have been in the direct to DVD world a number of westerns made on very low budgets. This is one of them, and I think that despite it having a number of flaws, it is a touch above most other modern low budget westerns. Now, it IS very cheaply made, but I could see that the filmmakers tried very hard to hide this fact, such as with the use of limited lighting in a number of sequences. And they did spend some money when it counted, such as with the use of a rain machine in a few sequences, which does add some atmosphere. The filmmakers were also able to with the limited funds generate a few decent scenes of action and/or suspense.
However, these points of merit only take the movie so far. While the movie is atmospheric, it is undeniably VERY slow to unfold, made worse that the core of the story is simply a rehash of revenge westerns from the past. A quicker pace would have helped things considerably. Also, the movie is hurt by the fact that the central protagonist (played by Jon Foo) doesn't give a particularly good or engaging performance. There are also a few badly directed sequences that will momentarily puzzle viewers as to what exactly is happening in front of them, or what just happened moments before.
Despite these and other flaws, I admit that I wasn't at any time BORED by the movie, and while I may not be giving the overall results a passing grade, I do think that under the low budget circumstances, the filmmakers deserve an "A" for effort.
One last note, this one to fans of Danny Trejo: He only shows up for a couple of minutes.
However, these points of merit only take the movie so far. While the movie is atmospheric, it is undeniably VERY slow to unfold, made worse that the core of the story is simply a rehash of revenge westerns from the past. A quicker pace would have helped things considerably. Also, the movie is hurt by the fact that the central protagonist (played by Jon Foo) doesn't give a particularly good or engaging performance. There are also a few badly directed sequences that will momentarily puzzle viewers as to what exactly is happening in front of them, or what just happened moments before.
Despite these and other flaws, I admit that I wasn't at any time BORED by the movie, and while I may not be giving the overall results a passing grade, I do think that under the low budget circumstances, the filmmakers deserve an "A" for effort.
One last note, this one to fans of Danny Trejo: He only shows up for a couple of minutes.